Community Church of the Pelhams, UCC

Rev. Eugene Palmore preached the ordination sermon for the service of Ordination and Installation for Asayo Okumura Thomas in our sanctuary on Sunday evening, August 30.

A solemn moment.

The candidate for ordination kneels while people pray over her and lay hands on her, to indicate the Holy Spirit comes from the whole people of God.

Asayo prepared to receive the prayer of Ordination.

Rev. Asayo Okumura Thomas and her mentor, Rev. Eugene Palmore, who guided her through the long process of preparation for ordination.

Congratulations, Rev. Asayo Okumura Thomas!

The Community Church of the Pelhams invites the community to join in a Book Discussion: How to be An AntiRacist by Ibram X Kendi. This is a nationally best-selling and highly recommended book! Six sessions, two per month, Wednesday evenings : July 8, July 22, July 29 August 19, August 26, September 9... All sessions are on Zoom and run from 7 - 8:30 pm. For the July 8th session please read the Introduction and Chapters 1 and 2. Let Pastor Noel Vanek know if you would like to be in the group. You can contact him at: 917-951-1581, or by email at [email protected] This reading group will be intense, challenging, but good. It’s for people of any color!

On Sunday, July 7, New York Assistant Attorney General Janice Powers spoke on our Zoom worship about getting smart about telephone scams, which are on the upswing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Here are the resources that she suggested we use: Reputable Charities 1. New York State Attorney General Charities Database for NYS based charities ... https://www.charitiesnys.com/ and search the Charities Registry located on the right of the web page. 2. Search independent charitable databases give.org guidestar.org charitywatch.org charitynavigator.org 3. Google the name of the charity and the word scam. Blocking Robocalls (We do not endorse any particular company, this is informational and do your own research before purchasing.) 1. Contact your phone carrier and ask what technology they can supply to help block robocalls. 2. Apps for Smartphones a. Robokiller b. Nomorobo c. Hiya d. Trapcall e. True Caller (identifies the caller by number) 3. Devices for Landlines a. Panasonic Call Blocker for Landline Phones b. Digitone ProSeries c. Call Control Home Consumer Complaints Go to the Attorney General’s Website For pandemic related complaints go to https://ag.ny.gov/coronavirus On the right of the page you will see links to file complaints in these areas areas related to the pandemic. Charities Consumer Frauds or Scams Onlne Services, Apps, Internet Providers Price Gouging Discrimination Wage and Employment Issues Health Care Issues. For non-pandemic related complaints go to https://ag.ny.gov/complaint-forms and click: File a Complaint Identity Theft Reporting and Recovery Go to: https://identitytheft.gov/ Westchester County Resources 1. New York State Office of the Attorney General Westchester Regional Office. The Westchester Regional Office serves the counties of Putnam, Rockland and Westchester Counties. Bureaus represented in office include Consumer Frauds and Public Advocacy, Charities and Not-for-Profits. Office: (914) 422-8755 Complaint forms are on the website at https://ag.ny.gov/westchester-regional-office 2. Westchester County Consumer Protection The Department of Consumer Protection fights hard to ensure a fair and equitable marketplace for consumers. Office: (914) 995-2155 https://consumer.westchestergov.com/ Reporting International Scams https://www.econsumer.gov/#crnt